Nepal is still reeling with shocks and aftershocks after the earthquake on 25th April and aftershocks on the 26th. This is still the time of rescue and treatment, last rites and rehabilitation. We do not yet have information on what is the state of affairs in faraway mid-hill villages, but we know that most houses built with mud mortar and bricks have come down. The urban skyline/horizon itself has changed. The concept of architectural conservation will have to be reconfigured, both for town and country. Friends from outside Nepal who would like to help should maintain their interest and commitment a few days while immediate matters are addressed here. In any case, there are international teams to deal with immediate issues. Support given with circumspection will be more useful. It will be required in long term rehabilitation in health, in house building, skill training etc. It has just started raining, with the people are out in the cold.

Kanak Mani Dixit
Chair, Hri Institute

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"Hri" - a sound or a vibration, the utterance of which awakens the empathy that is an inherent part of every sentient being. Regionalism must no longer remain a prisoner of platitude, since there is a consensus that geopolitical friction, poverty and pressing environmental issues as well as cultural and social dislocation must be addressed through the regional framework. There is a need to revive and energise discussions of regionalism on the platform of mainstream politics, public information and research, with a dynamic Southasian sensibility.